


Too Damn Lucky

by Graveyard



Category: Granblue Fantasy (Video Game)
Genre: Acts of Kindness, Canonical Character Death, Crash Landing, Early in Canon, F/M, Memories, Nostalgia, Storms, Teasing, Unconsciousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2018-08-03
Packaged: 2019-06-21 10:24:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15555669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Graveyard/pseuds/Graveyard
Summary: The first day of sun after the rain signals a change in fortunes, but to Eugen it signals something else entirely. Io goes on a short quest to find out why he's acting so strangely, and what they can do to make things better.





	Too Damn Lucky

**Author's Note:**

> The piece I wrote for [Crosswinds: A Granblue Fantasy Tarot Project Zine](https://twitter.com/gbf_tarot). It's a collection of four short stories each telling a part of a larger tale. It's a little sad, a little sweet, and I hope you enjoy it very, very much.

**Io**

The Grandcypher rested content as a cat on the island docks, claws of a wild beast tucked away beneath the veneer of complacency she held in slumber. On this sleepy morning early in their journey, she seemed no different from the merchant and passenger vessels that huddled around her like a flock around a wolf, the humid air heavy with something like anticipation, or inevitability.

Some might call it luck.

Io, drawn from her bed earlier than usual by the pull of invisible strings, found herself at home amidst the swollen heat. Her bedroom door swung wide under a forceful push, and her shiny blue shoes tapped a staccato rhythm on the deck as she dashed to the railing, throwing herself against it with a force that sent her twin tails dancing ahead of her like fluttering ribbons of many colours.

“It’s sunny!” she cheered, “I knew it wouldn’t be able to rain much longer! I  _ told  _ you _ ,  _ Vyr--”

She turned to see an empty deck, devoid of friends and even annoying lizards. Not given to subtlety, she flopped down with a heavy sigh. Her legs weaved between the gaps in the railing, dangling over open air as she complained to no one in particular.

“Aww, I forgot they were leaving last night! I shouldn’t have gone to bed early! I could have gone too!” She kicked her feet in protest, her cheeks puffing with the force of her indignation. “Or they could have waited for me! They’re going to be sorry they left me behind when they need some magic! Hmph!”

A hearty chuckle intruded on her tantrum, and a gloved hand landed on the top of her head. She peeked up indignantly to see which  _ old man  _ had interrupted, and found bare arms instead of covered, long hair instead of short, and one eye instead of two.

“Eugeeen,” she complained, and he laughed again.

“Now, now! The others will only be gone for a few days. Sierokarte won’t put them through anything they can’t handle.” His hand patted once and then rested on her head, slightly too heavy. “Just enjoy the nice weather for a change! When you’re my age you learn to treasure every peaceful minute.”

“But I wanted to enjoy the nice weather  _ with everyone,”  _ Io whined, too deep in her melancholy to take the invitation to poke fun at his age. “It’s practically summer, and they’re out doing work instead of spending time with me! Hmph!” Io puffed out her cheeks again, and expected gentle teasing to rain over her. But instead Eugen made a thoughtful noise, and the hand on her head gently curled.

“Practically summer huh...” Io glanced up and caught Eugen’s distance gaze, single dark eye trained on the horizon. “I suppose it is that time of year again…” But at Io’s questioning sound he merely laughed and let his hand uncurl. “Don’t worry about it! I’ll tell you when you’re older!”

That was, quite possibly, Io’s least favourite phrase.

**Rosetta**

Rosetta’s room, much like the woman herself, was full of secrets. With free space on the Grandcypher rapidly shrivelling like flowers in a drought, Rosetta had maintained her iron grip on the privacy of her quarters. It had taken cunning and adaptation, a wily vine twisting as it climbed through gaps in a garden trellis, but she had a thick, flexible core and could not be so easily dislodged.

“A woman needs her space,” she’d laughed once when Katalina had proposed to share, “even amongst her own kind. Though I appreciate the kind offer.” A gracious avoidance.

But now as urgent knocks hammered on the heavy oaken door, she wondered whether time was catching up to her.

Unwilling to submit to its rule she remained unhurried, casually depositing choice secrets into a drawer and turning the lock with a whisper of a click. The key was pressed into the soil of a potted plant, and she materialized in the crack of the ajar door as though she had always been there.

“My, if it isn’t sweet little Io! To what do I owe this pleasure?” She slithered into the hallway, her body blocking Io’s line of sight to her room. Io didn’t notice, which was according to design, or didn’t care, which was merely a fortunate side effect. The small girl pointed up at Rosetta, and with a bob that sent her twin tails cascading she declared:

“You know everything right? What time of year is it?”

Rosetta felt like she stood on crumbling soil, but masked her confusion with an easy smile.

“What time of year? Nearly summer, isn’t it? I’m not sure what you’re asking, my dear.”

“Ahh, you won’t tell me either! Why are adults like this?” Io stomped herself in a small circle while Rosetta looked on with polite bafflement. There was some clue in the waving of Io’s tiny fists and the clatter of her blue shoes, but Rosetta couldn’t discern it, until…

“First Eugen, now Rosetta! Why does no one know how to answer a simple question?”

“Eugen?” Something was creeping into Rosetta’s consciousness, prickling thorns into the edge of her memory. It was a gentle pressure, the teeth of a mother cat carrying her kittens, but at last it pricked deep enough to draw blood. Her gloved fist made a gentle sound as it fell into her open palm. She’d nearly forgotten. How lucky. “Ah, Eugen! Oh my, it really  _ is  _ that time of year isn’t it? How dreadfully nostalgic…”

Io was upon her in a moment, fists balling Rosetta’s flowing skirts between them.

“Tell me! Tell me!”

“Mm,” Rosetta said, carefully extracting Io before she could do any damage, “it’s Eugen’s anniversary, isn’t it? With his dearly departed wife. Is that all you wanted to know?”

And--for one blissful moment--Io went still, her eyes wide and mouth fallen wordlessly open. Rosetta observed her closely, watching the gears turn, until finally:

“Rackaaam!” Io was a blur of motion once more.

**Rackam**

It was too early in the day for this, Rackam decided, though the stagnant air rested on his shoulders like a late summer afternoon. A groan rose from his throat as he pushed himself from the Grandcypher’s inner workings to face the two currently vying for his attention. To Rackam, each day spent on the road weighed like a heavy coin in a threadbare purse. Too many days without maintenance would split his beloved ship at the seams and send the contents of their journey spilling into the wide blue skies.

If only he could have a few moments to himself to make some repairs.

“Oi, oi. We’re supposed to be lying low for a few days while the captain is off with Lyria and Katalina. I don’t think they want to come back to find we’ve packed up and left, right?”

“But it’s important!” Io whined, while Rosetta chuckled softly behind her.

“Young ladies shouldn’t exaggerate, my dear. It was merely a romantic notion we had in memory of our dear friend Eugen.” Rackam wasn’t sure whether Rosetta had the right to call him such a thing, having only just joined the crew herself, but he felt his frown waver under his friend’s name. “A brief trip back to Auguste, while we are still in the same skies. Surely we can do that much for a friend missing his beloved wife?”

She’d broken him, and she knew it. Rackam tsked, and carefully closed up the maintenance hatch on the side of the Grandcypher. Another day, he promised. He always promised.

“Fine. As long as we’re back before the captain.” He pretended not to be pleased by Io’s cheers and Rosetta’s soft clap as he slunk his way to the helm and let his hands run over the familiar controls. The Grandcypher yawned beneath him as she started to wake up, claws flexing and fangs exposed. He took the wheel, and tried not to let his euphoria show in the grin on his face.

“Honestly, what an inconvenience.”

And then she was up, rotors chopping the air as she surged into the sky. For one glorious moment she sailed true, then a gust of wind knocked her askew, sending those on the deck sprawling.

“Tch, so that’s how it’s going to be, is it?” Rackam said as he dragged himself upright. This time he gripped the wheel hard, reigning his wild beast in once more. “Should have known the temperature change would cause something like this.”

“Something like what? Eek!” Io had barely staggered to her feet when the Grandcypher bucked again and she was nearly thrown off the ship entirely. She barely managed to catch herself on the railing and clung on for dear life, hanging half over open air, the port where they had been resting just moments before lost beneath frantic clouds and whipping winds.

Lucky catch.

“Just a bit of bad weather,” Rackam growled. “Word of advise: hang on tight!”

And Io did just that.

**Eugen**

Eugen wasn’t mourning, not exactly, but at his age he’d earned the right to be sentimental from time to time. He held memories in the palm of his hand, rolling around softly, and permitted himself a single sigh. Time really did creep up on a person.

He didn’t notice when the ship started to rumble and shake, too deep in memories and regrets and resolves to do better. But when the ship gave a lurch he snapped to attention. If only because his precious memories had fallen and rolled away under the dresser.

“Thought we were waiting for the captain to get back,” Eugen grumbled as he fished his precious object out and slipped it back on his finger, beneath the glove. “What are those kids doing now?” And he threw his door open and stepped out into the world.

Everything was screaming.

“Old man! Down there! We can land on that small island!” Through whirling winds he caught a glimpse of Io hanging halfway off the ship, pointing at something far below.

“Who’s an old man!?” Rackam grunted, and Eugen saw him strain against the controls. The Grandcypher tilted alarmingly, but Rackam turned that motion into a spiralling dive. “Ugh, you better be right about this Io!”

“Rackam!”

“Eugen,” a third voice said, and across the wind-torn deck he spied Rosetta, safely braced against the main mast. “Isn’t this fun?” she said pleasantly, and then there was a grinding noise as they hit something solid, and the world moved in three directions at once.

He had no idea how much time had passed when he woke to find himself sprawled out on the deck. Cautiously he sat up to survey the damage. Rackam was hanging over the controls, groaning but conscious. Rosetta was dusting herself off as though she’d merely been on a brisk stroll. And Io--

“Fools! What have you done?” Eugen gasped, as he threw himself at the empty railing to find--

Io, perched safely in the waiting arms of a springy bush below. He let out breath he didn’t know he was holding, then his gaze drifted up and across the island they found themselves on. His chest tightened in sudden memory. Too small to be inhabited, this place was an offshoot of greater Auguste, huddled just beneath the mainland to catch the water draining off it in an endless waterfall. The waters fueled the plant life here, seeds carried downstream and onto the smaller island to blossom and grow.

It was a secret he thought only two people knew about, and these days only one.

He glanced at Rosetta, whose expression told nothing. He glanced at Rackam, who was busy fussing over his ship. And he glanced down at Io who blinked with large eyes and said:

“Surprise?”

He felt something stinging the corner of his eye. Probably a scratch he’d gotten from the fall, because the rest of his face was split into a broad grin. Honestly. These kids were too damn lucky.


End file.
